


to see a part of myself within you

by Argentina



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Apologies, Comfort, Conversations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders, Gen, Guilt, Heart-to-Heart, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Missing Scene, One Shot, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Past Child Abuse, Post-Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25117387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argentina/pseuds/Argentina
Summary: Katara looks back at him. “Zuko,” she says, softly, capturing his attention. “I’m not angry at you anymore.”But you should be,Zuko doesn’t say.“You don’t need to do this,” he tells her. He wants her trust, not her sympathy. He wants to helpher, not the other way around.“But I want to,” Katara responds. “Just because we were on opposite sides doesn’t mean that you weren’t a victim of this war, as well.”A heart-to-heart between Zuko and Katara after their encounter with Yon Rha.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 231





	to see a part of myself within you

**Author's Note:**

> I finished watching ATLA two days ago, and decided to write in a little missing scene for s3e16.

It’s while they’re sitting on Appa’s saddle, under the stormy skies, that Katara says two words that Zuko never thought he’d ever hear from her. 

“I’m sorry.”

He snaps his gaze up, gold eyes meeting blue ones. 

There's an awkward moment of silence in which he attempts to comprehend her words. They were uttered so suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, and he has absolutely no idea how to respond to them. He doesn’t even know what she means, in the first place. 

Sorry for what? Why is she apologizing, to him, of all people?

“What—” Zuko questions, using his fingers to brush his rain-soaked bangs out of his face as he swallows thickly. “What are you saying?”

“I…” Katara begins, trailing off. “I misjudged.”

Zuko shakes his head. 

“If this is about before, you didn’t do anything wrong—”

“Yes, I did,” Katara contradicts firmly. “I might’ve had a right to be angry at you for the past, but by no means should I have disregarded what you told me back there, in Ba Sing Se. I shouldn’t have put you down for that, because it wasn’t a lie, was it?”

Zuko bites his lip. He shakes his head minutely. “It wasn’t.”

Katara breathes out a slight sigh of relief, his words confirming her beliefs. “Okay… _okay._ ”

A beat, and then: “Would you like to discuss it?”

And.

And Zuko doesn’t like talking about his mother. 

It’s never been an easy subject to broach, and he doesn’t think that’ll change anytime soon. Just the thought of her face brings back memories, both good and bad alike, that he’d much rather _forget_. 

But he can’t. He’s tried, for the longest time, and he can’t stop the thoughts from seeping into his mind, uninvited. The way she used to smile at him and the way they’d hold a conversation, back when he didn’t know the extent to which the world could be cruel. 

Back before his father lifted a hand to the left side of his face and left a permanent reminder of his failures. 

Zuko lets out a breath. 

He helped Katara with her own situation regarding her mother. He offered to come with her on her journey to find the man who was responsible, even.

She has let him in on a lot of things that are personal. And if he wants her to trust him fully, then he might as well reciprocate the favor. 

“She was taken away from me by my father,” Zuko begins, slowly, recalling his encounter with Ozai back during the solar eclipse. He remembers the revelation he had come to during that time. How angry he had been. “I’ve missed her.”

Katara averts her gaze, staring out into the rain instead. 

“So we really aren’t that different, in that sense.”

He doesn’t know how to respond to that, because the more he considers it, the more he thinks she’s right. His mother faced the consequences to protect him. Katara’s mother faced the consequences for protecting her, as well. 

They may have come from very different pasts, but even so, the events overlap. 

“Yeah,” Zuko exhales. 

But even so, he feels a twinge of guilt. 

It’s wrong. He feels wrong for empathizing with Katara, when he’s part of the nation that caused all of this to happen. Neither him nor his people are innocent, and he doesn’t have a right to be feeling sorry for himself when he’s harmed others just as much as he’s _been_ harmed. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, once again, clenching his fists by his sides. “For everything. I don’t deserve this from you—I’m so sorry.”

Katara looks back at him. “Zuko,” she says, softly, capturing his attention. “I’m not angry at you anymore.”

_But you should be,_ Zuko doesn’t say. 

“You don’t need to do this,” he tells her. He wants her trust, not her sympathy. He wants to help _her_ , not the other way around.

“But I want to,” Katara responds. “Just because we were on opposite sides doesn’t mean that you weren’t a victim of this war, as well.”

Her words make the reality seem much more tangible than the facts ever did. It’s validating, in a sense. 

It lets him know that he’s justified in his feelings, and that’s so much more than what he’s used to. 

“You really believe that, even after everything I’ve done?” Zuko asks, a little bitterly. 

“I think that this is a matter separate from your past actions. One thing doesn’t override the other.” She sounds sad. “But you’ve changed. You came along on this trip with me, and you understood my need to track down the person responsible.”

“Experience is the best teacher,” Zuko mumbles. He’s pretty sure he only knows that phrase from his uncle. He must’ve mentioned it at one point or another, for it to have stuck in Zuko’s memory. “You did the right thing, back there.”

Zuko has only known violence, his entire life. Seeing Katara spare Yon Rha’s life came as quite the surprise to him, but he respects her choice, and he thinks he can see where she’s coming from. It’s simply not what he’s accustomed to. 

“Thanks,” Katara says, drawing her knees up to her chest. “I wasn’t sure, at first. But I’ve thought it over, and I believe that this is the best choice I could’ve made, and I don’t regret it. I have my closure.” She rests her chin on top of her hands. “And I’ll help you find yours, too.”

Zuko startles a bit at that. At the back of his mind, he knows that they’re merely days away from Sozin’s comet, but saying it aloud is a whole other circumstance. 

“Right.” He runs a hand through his tousled locks. “... That’s happening soon.”

Katara nods. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll do this together. Aang won’t let him get away with what your father has done, Zuko.”

And Zuko feels something warm blossoming within him. He has support. 

He’s not the only one who feels this way against Ozai, and he won’t be alone when he makes a final stand against the firelord.

It makes him content.


End file.
